What is the Memory Maker?
Before we discuss whether the Memory Maker is worth the cost, let me explain what it is. Disney offers something called a “PhotoPass” which means that any photos taken of you in the park whether that be at a character meet-in-greet, a family shot in front of the castle, or a ride photo, will be added to your My Disney Experience app with a watermark. You can pay for these photos individually, or you can purchase the Memory Maker, which gives you access to all of your photos.
Is the Memory Maker worth it?
The short answer is YES. For $169 you are going to get a ton of high quality photos, including ride photos/videos.
The longer answer is that it depends.
On this page, I’ll discuss reasons why I think the Memory Maker has great value for the prices as well as some reasons why you might not want the package.
Keep scrolling for more info and sample pictures.
The most “bang for your buck”
For starters, consider how much would you be willing to pay for a personal photo session with your family? At $169, the Memory Maker package feels like a steal. You would pay much more for professional photography of your family, let alone at a theme park!
But even at that great price, you can save a ton of money on adding the Memory Maker package.
The Memory Maker package can be shared with ALL friends and family during your stay. So, ONE My Disney Experience account can pay for the photopass, and as long as everyone else is linked to that person, they will all be included. There is one stipulation to this and that is that the photos will have the watermark on them until you download them. And, you must use the account that purchased Memory Maker to download the photos. Either that person can download them for others and share, or they can share their login information.
Either way, dividing the cost of the Memory Maker among multiple families is a major way to save on the package.
You get a lot with your purchase of the Memory Maker, including:
“Magic” shots where computer art or animations are added to your picture, such as a bubbling cauldron during Halloween.
Character interactions. Every character meet-and-greet that isn’t a character meal will have a Photopass photographer.
Ride photos: using MagicBands or the My Disney Experience app on your phone, Photopass will know when you get on a ride and capture the moment!
Admittedly, the Memory Maker is not for everyone. Here are some reasons you might NOT want to add Memory Maker to your package:
Disney on a Budget
Obviously, adding $169 onto an already expensive vacation seems like a lot. You can get around the photopass offerings by asking cast members to take pictures using your own DSLR camera or a smartphone. However, by going this route, you will miss out on the ride photos and videos.
Not big on photo collections
If you don’t see yourself using the pictures, say for like a scrapbook, website, photo album, etc., then you might not see the value in having hundreds of photos.
Shorter trips
Shorter trips aren’t a great use of the Memory Maker because of how few photos you’ll get. If you are doing 4 or more days, the price per day gets pretty low. If you’d like the photopass for only one day, there is a single day purchase.
Other Reasons Not to Get Memory Maker
Most character dining does not have photographers available for your photos. You will have to take these on your own or ask a cast member to take a picture for you. Additionally, Disney now includes ride photos with the purchase of Genie+ for that day, so if you’re already buying Genie+, you get less value out of Memory Maker.